Toni Kroos could be pulling the strings on Thomas Müller and Mats Hummels returning to Germany

In recent weeks, it’s been suggested that Joachim Löw is seriously considering returns to the German national team for both Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller and Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels.

Both players have performed well for their respective clubs since Joachim Löw made the decision to drop them from Die Mannshcaft in 2019 along with Jerome Boateng, but Löw has stuck to his guns with wanting to integrate some of the younger players into the squad, while still keeping a core of veterans.

Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos is one of the players along with Manuel Neuer that comprise the core of veteran players in the German setup, and it’s now suggested that the former has a strong influence on Löw’s decision-making process — even more than Neuer, who’s the captain.

Specifically, Kroos has recently changed his mind upon bringing Müller and Hummels back into the team per Bild (as captured in the tweet below from Twitter account @iMiaSanMia):

Originally, Kroos agreed with Löw that it was time to really put an emphasis on starting to bring in some of the younger players into the squad, but it seems that Kroos is open to having the pair of veterans return to the setup.

It’s thought that Kroos changing his mind on the matter is a big part of the reason that Löw has recently entertained the idea of doing so. Whether it’s ultimately Kroos, Neuer, or Löw, or all three of them collectively making the final decision ahead of this summer’s European Championships, Müller and Hummels’ performances speak for themselves.

Müller has been one of Bayern’s most important players during the past two season and despite Dortmund having their share of defensive frailties, Hummels has also been a consistently solid performer. With the personnel that Löw has been picking in both defense and attack, there’s no reason that the pair of players shouldn’t be on the final roster for this summer, especially if Kroos has changed his mind.

Whether or not Kroos should have as much of an influence on Löw’s decision is a separate argument, but one that wont last very ling since Löw will be stepping down as manager after this summer’s Euros. Depending on who the next Die Mannshcaft manager is, Kroos might even start to play a limited role in the German setup, assuming he continues to play internationally after this summer’s tournament.

Photo by Marius Becker/picture alliance via Getty Images